There seems to have been a fair amount of NZ Sauvignon Blanc sampling lately, and more to come with NY Eve, so lets try a few in the next few days. I will attempt to concentrate on Marlborough and have a few `04s lined up. Think I will start with Selaks!
Isabel has been mentioned here of late as well as St Claire but what about Brancott, Kim Crawford, Jackson or even Villa Maria. Cheers everyone!

2006 Monkey Bay, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, $11. Simple but very drinkable, this year's version is highlighted by lime, jalapeno and kiwi notes; 84/85.

2006 Saint Clair, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, $15. This stunner grabs you from the very start with its intense gooseberry and passionfruit aromas. Crisp in the mouth, the flavors are every bit as intense – passionfruit, limes and grapefruit flavors abound. New Zealand has raised the bar on Sauvignon Blanc with this one. Buy by the case; 93/95.

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:There seems to have been a fair amount of NZ Sauvignon Blanc sampling lately, and more to come with NY Eve, so lets try a few in the next few days. I will attempt to concentrate on Marlborough and have a few `04s lined up. Think I will start with Selaks!Isabel has been mentioned here of late as well as St Claire but what about Brancott, Kim Crawford, Jackson or even Villa Maria. Cheers everyone!

Bob, I really recommend you try some 06's if you can. The 04's will have lost their super fresh edge, although some of the 05's I have tasted recently are still pretty zippy including the Brancott Reserve.
Saint Clair and Kim Crawford 06's are leading the pack this year, however. Another of my favourites is Shingle Peak if you can find it and Matua Paretai - both made by Matua Valley, the latter being the top of their tier.
Another that we had last week that was super zippy and punchy was the Waipara Hills Marlborough Sauv Blanc 06 - highly recommended.

Randy, thanks for getting the ball rolling! Nice to hear from you Sue. We have only just received the `05s and have seen many I am familar with. Yup, the Matua highend is here! I mentioned the `04 Selaks cos it seems to have been hidden in the cellar and it turned up during a cleanup. Just opened it, still has some zip but agree wine has lost that edge.Was there some barrel fermentation with this one, Sue?

I agree with Randy about the Kim Crawford '06. And at $12 a bottle out here in the Los Angeles area it is not only a no brainer but a steal. I felt like I should have had a ski mask on when I bought it. Great crisp, fresh acidity with gobs of gooseberry. A dozen oysters, some KC SB, another half dozen, some more KC SB....la dolce vita.

LOL at the ski mask comment. I had a glass of 2005? Crossings Sauvignon Blanc at a restaurant in Connecticut the day after Christmas (with sea bass). It had a powerful aroma and very nice taste--citrusy rather than herbal. I would say lemons and limes. Looked it up on the Internet because I knew nothing about this brand. It retails for about $12-$16. Several reviews mentioned lime prominently but one mentioned grapefruit and several mentioned passionfruit (I am not familiar with passionfruit). It also has received numerous gold and silver medals in competitions.

Replying to Carl,
I was only in Connecticut for two nights seeing my nephew's family near New Haven and I was not the one with the rental car. My great-niece, a toddler at 2 1/2, kept us thoroughly entertained.
JC

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Randy, thanks for getting the ball rolling! Nice to hear from you Sue. We have only just received the `05s and have seen many I am familar with. Yup, the Matua highend is here! I mentioned the `04 Selaks cos it seems to have been hidden in the cellar and it turned up during a cleanup. Just opened it, still has some zip but agree wine has lost that edge.Was there some barrel fermentation with this one, Sue?

Barrel fermentation? In the Selaks? Heck no! Just the way savvie goes with a little age. It can start to garner a toastiness even though the nearest the wine got to wood was when the bottle was put on a wooden counter for serving.

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Shingle Peak rings a bell. Know the name, not sure which store has it!! If I am right, Drylands is a Selaks company???

Drylands started out as a label for Selaks for their top Marlborough wines, but then Nobilo bought Selaks (at that stage their headquarters were physically just 2 miles from each other in Kumeu in Auckland and both family owned), but then Hardy in Australia took over Nobilo and now Constellation owns the whole caboodle. There endeth the lesson.

Colour. Very light lemon with some viscousity. No green hues this time around (2nd bottle).

Nose. Typical, what else can one say? Gooseberry, capsicum and hint of tropical fruits. Aromas blast out of the glass!

Palate. Hint of spritz on entry, still has some zip but has lost some of the crisp freshness one associates with SB. Lime, apple, stone fruit with green peppers gooseberry finish. Good acidity and tangy aftertaste (some length). After 2 hrs, grapefruit tends to dominate. Not bad.

Probably not the first time I have mentioned this wonderful sparkling SB from Mt Riley!! Opened this up as the Grill was winding down after a very busy night.

Pale lemon in colour,small beads. On the nose, hints of gooseberry and capsicum. Tad herby but nice fizz. Very crisp entry, lively with a fine mousse. Has some nice intense flavours, one knows this could be SB.

*****did not have enough for one server so bartender mixed some Oyster Bay with some Asti. "This is good stuff"she remarked as I helped myself to a glass of `85 Warres VP!!!

Not a label I'm familiar with, we found this in a sushi restaurant while on vacation in Florida. It's quite similar to the most flamboyant NZ SBs such as Palliser Estate's (Michael Cooper MW: "Marlborough Sauvignon in drag") and paired quite successfully with the sushi.

Mark, the SB is here too but have not tasted. Good note from you!! I see they make a Pinot Gris, that would be up my alley.

WTN: `05 Jackson Estate, Marlborough.

So just polished off the Shingle Peak, better half suggested this. Very pale straw colour, nose is asparagus, gooseberry and citrus. More nuances as it airs I hope. This is always a consistent winery eh.
Zingy crisp palate, nice entry mouthfeel but not as complex as the Shingle P.
Some minerally tones and more asparagus with goosegogs! Think more lime than usual, will check notes. Always a good value wine and no price increase for quite a while, around $19 Cdn.

Not a label I'm familiar with, we found this in a sushi restaurant while on vacation in Florida. It's quite similar to the most flamboyant NZ SBs such as Palliser Estate's (Michael Cooper MW: "Marlborough Sauvignon in drag") and paired quite successfully with the sushi.

Mark Lipton

Mark, If you like the flamboyant style of savvie (I do) you should also hunt down Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - both 2005 and 2006 are very good, although I think the 2005 was marginally better. Simon Waghorn is Whitehaven's winemaker, but the Astrolabe is Simon's personal label.
BTW - Michael Cooper is not an MW.